Artist

Federico Severino was born in Brescia (Italy) in 1953, and lives and works in Franciacorta (Brescia). Since he was aged 12 he was to be found in the sculptor’s studio of Domenico Lusetti’s, nevertheless Severino choose to graduate in Philosophy (1776), whilst simultaneously cultivating his autodidactic studies in art and sculpting. In 1974 he emerged with his first solo exhibition presented by Luciano Spiazzi and Elvira Cassa Salvi, and in 1992 Alberto Crespi and Fausto Lorenzi published him in a monograph. His artistic language reflects both, fervent creative ability and a profound cultural background, which enable him to balance the strong tension of the underlying conflict rising from his preferred subject matter. The symbolism of his work refers to the profound philosophical connotation; his figures, often showing hands with long, claw alike fingers, indicating the impulsive anger behind every self-conscious human action as inalienable emotive-irrational component. Thus relating to contemporary sculpture, Severino’s iconography, which represents often mythological and religious figures, embodies a relation between the real and the imaginary. In effect, his work has attained important critical attention by the national press for artworks inspired by sacred themes. During the past years, Severino has participated in numerous exhibitions held at important public spaces, as well as having exhibited in different Italian galleries in Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Monza, Turin, Pietrasanta, Firenze, Venezia, Capri and Positano. The artistic activity observed attentively by the critics and the national press has also given ample space to religious subjects, with outstanding works. Public spaces and organizations, public and private art collections host his works, some of which are permanently on show at the Centro Arte Moderna in Pisa. ABOUT HIS WORK Federico Severino’s bronze sculptures embody both the dramatic and grotesque, the tragic and the ironical. It is for this that they appear to recall upon the rather crude way of representation of body and faces, which dominated the neo- figurative art of the 1960’s. On the other hand, however, they also resemble traditional, if not archaic icons such as those found during the 16th century: the centaurs, the man beast, and bifrontal figures Sirenes to name but a few. Referring to the latter it needs to be mentioned that Severino is one of the few sculptors who successfully created sculptures visualizing the unreal, symbolical and medieval nature of “The Thirty Three Chants” of Dante’s “Inferno”. The mysterious netherworlds, narrated by Dante, are expressed by means of either female or male nudes that often appear abandoned, lingering in crouched positions displaying mouths widely opened by astonishment, showing anguished faces expressing the true drama of the human condition. Rough “relieves”, woven bodies animated by passion and sufferance and an almost pictorial effect achieved through a special coating, which covers the sculptures’ bronze tone but tints them yellow, red or green enforces the impact of looking at Dantesque alike figures. ONE MAN SHOWS 1974 - Galleria A.A.B. (Associazione Artisti Bresciani) Brescia 1976 - Galleria la Leonessa Brescia 1977 - Galleria A.A.B. Brescia 1978 - Galleria Spinetti Firenze 1979 - Galleria Modì Bergamo 1980 - Galleria A.A.B. Brescia 1988 - Galleria Montrasio Monza (MI) - Galleria Il Traghetto Venezia - Musei Diocesani S. Francesco Brescia - Comune di Manerbio Manerbio 1989 - Galleria Lo Spazio Brescia 1990 - Comune di Ospitaletto Brescia 1994 - Palazzo Martinengo Brescia 1996 - Comune di Pietrasanta Lucca 1997 - Triennale int. D'Arte Sacra, Celano Aquila 1998 - Villa Glisenti, Villa Carcina Brescia 1999 - Galleria Manini (7 maggio/19 Giugno) Torino 2000 - Comune di Villasanta (2/30 aprile) Milano - Comune di Trenzano, Arte Sacra Brescia - Centro Arte Moderna Pisa 2001 - Manini Arte Torino 2002 - Galleria Arsmedia Bergamo 2003 - Rocca di Orzinuovi Brescia 2004 - Galleria "Lo Spazio" Brescia - Villa Badia Leno (BS) - ex Chiesa di S. Stefano Mondovì 2005 - Galleria Civica Monza 2006 - Arsmedia, catalogo Bergamo 2007 - Galleria Plexus Friburgo CH COLEECTIVE EXHIBITIONS 1985 - "La Galerie d'Art" Orlj - Aeroporto di Linate Milano - L'Apocalisse di Giovanni - Pieve di Urago Urago Mella (BS) 1986 - Chiesa Cerezzata Ome (BS) 1987 - Comune di S. Zeno Brescia - Arte Sacra - Palazzo ex Monte di Pietà Brescia 1988 - Expo Arte, Galleria Lo Spazio Bergamo - Milano Arte, Galleria Montrasio Milano 1989 - Succursale Fiat Brescia 1992 - Artisti Bresciani, Palazzo Martinengo Brescia 1995 - Francavilla al mare - Scultori Bresciani del '900, Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia 1996 - Chiesa S. Agostino, Pietrasanta Lucca 1998 - Sala Mostre Comunale di S. Filippo e Giacomo Brescia - Arte e Città, S. Giovanni in Persiceto III Ed.Bologna - Chiesa S. Agostino, Pietrasanta Lucca - Expo Arte (1/4 ottobre) Brescia - Etruria Arte, Venturina (10/18 luglio) La Spezia 1999 - Con l'Arte nel cuore Monza (MI) - Mostra Bozzetti Statua S. Tommaso Roccasecca (FR) - Etruria Arte (10/18 luglio) Venturina Piombino - Expo Arte (1/4 ottobre) Montichiari Brescia - Artissima (7/10 ottobre) Torino 2000 - Un'opera per il terzo millennio, Collegiata di Monteverchi Arezzo 2001 - Expo Arte di Montichiari Brescia 2001 - Angeli (Pistoia,CamaioreVenezia,Roma, Montecatini) 2002 - Castello di Mombasiglio Cuneo - XXIX Premio Sulmona - Rassegna Intern. Arte Contemporanea Sulmona (Aquila) - Sala delle Arti, Certosa Reale - Collegno Torino 2003 - Centrale di S. Barbara Caviglia (Arezzo) - Chisa S. Benedetto Brescia 2004 - Galleria Arsmedia Bergamo - Galleria "Berman" Torino - Palazzo Congressi Bardonecchia 2004 Eremo di Bienno "Il Volto di Cristo" Bienno (BS) - Galleria Previstali Milano - Palazzo dei Congressi Chiavenna, Madesimo - Expo Arte Galleria "Lo Spazio" Montichiari (BS) - Arsmedia Bergamo 2005 - Arsmedia Bergamo - Ave Gratia Plena S. G. Valdarno - La porta del cielo Seriate (BG) 2006 - Artisti bresciani, Catalogo: Il secondo dopoguerra, la linea figurativa. - Percorsi di scultura, Villa Mazzotti Chiari (BS) 2007 - La Nave dei folli, Oratorio dei Disciplini Clusone (BG) FURTHER EXHIBITIONS 2002 - Expo Arte Montichiari - Galleria "Lo Spazio" Montichiari (BS) 2003 - Expo Arte Montichiari - Montichiari (BS) 2005 - Expo arte Montichiari - Galleria "Lo Spazio" Montichiari (BS) - Pulcra Ecclesia, Visioni del sacro Brescia (BS) 2008 - “Sacralità del corpo” Castel Dell’Ovo, Napoli